The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative for neonatal wards. A mini review

The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative for Neonatal Wards (Neo-BFHI) is an expansion of the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding to address the needs of infants and families in all levels of neonatal care. The Neo-BFHI includes Three Guiding Principles as basic tenets, Ten Steps to protect, promote and support breastfeeding closely following the original Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, and adherence to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. In 2020, the WHO/UNICEF published recommendations for breastfeeding small, sick and preterm newborns that aligns with the Neo-BFHI. Conclusion: This mini review provides a brief description of the content in the Neo-BFHI.

Automated summary

The Neo-BFHI is an extension of the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, tailored to meet the needs of infants and families in all levels of neonatal care. It includes Three Guiding Principles and Ten Steps to support breastfeeding, along with adherence to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. In 2020, WHO/UNICEF published recommendations for breastfeeding small, sick and preterm newborns in line with the Neo-BFHI.